How to increase guest satisfaction in hotels using technology

Guest satisfaction: It’s the most consequential initiative for a hotelier and their team. When a guest leaves your property satisfied, they’re more likely to become a repeat customer, while offering free marketing for your hotel via positive word-of-mouth.

But, according to a Skift survey from February 2023, North American hotels saw the biggest decline in guest satisfaction in 2022 compared to 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers. According to the survey, the Global Review Index for hotels in the Shiji ReviewPro data set was 83.3%, a drop of 3.5 points from 2019. Most interesting, three-star hotels showed the steepest decline, losing four points.

What is guest satisfaction and how can you improve it?

Simply put, guest satisfaction is the measurement of how happy your guests are with your hotel’s service, amenities, and property. Luckily, hotel technology can easily help you elevate your guest satisfaction in three key ways. Here’s how:

Utilize Guest Data

Deploying a staff operations hub that tracks guest behaviors and data is an easy way to predict your guest needs before they even have the chance to voice them. With comprehensive data on everything from service request frequency to average dining check size, hoteliers can easily gain insight into their guests’ and their guests’ digital activities during their stay. Notice a guest has ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon with their meal the last three nights? Next time they dine at your onsite restaurant, have your staff automatically suggest a glass. Observe a guest requesting a high-floor during every stay? Automatically place them on a high-floor at check-in. By providing your guests with a stay tailored to them, you’re more likely to create a customer for life, ensure a return visit and earn a five-star review online.

Improve Recovery Time

As hard as you might try, not everything will go right 100% of the time. But that’s OK — because, by using a staff operations hub that features ticketing functionality, hoteliers are able to resolve guest complaints in real-time. Team members can log guest complaints and track the steps taken to resolve issues before they escalate. Hotel managers and their staff can even monitor escalation and common guest complaints to effectively prevent them from happening again in the future.

Offer a Digital Comment Card

Speaking of preventative measures, by offering guests a digital comment card before or during digital check-out, hoteliers and hotel managers are able to review guest feedback to continually improve guest satisfaction. By deploying a branded mobile app or bedside smart-room tablet, hotels can give guests the opportunity to praise team members who went the extra mile during their stay or point out areas that require attention or improvement. This also allows the hotelier and their manager to track the performance of each department, making it a great way to elevate guest satisfaction in the future.

Want to find out more about how to increase guest satisfaction in hotels? Interested in learning how hotel technology like a staff operations hub, branded mobile app, or smart-room tablet can elevate your guest satisfaction? Request a demo today.

A few ways to leverage technology to provide guests with a hotel stay they won’t forget

There are many examples of how technology can help improve hotel guest experiences — from smart-room tablets placed bedside that allow guests to digitally place and track in-room dining orders to hotel-branded mobile apps that make it easy for guests to check-in remotely and use their phones as their secure room key.

These technologies are all important when it comes to creating a lasting impression for guests, but possibly one of the most critical factors is delivering value to your guests. Making guests feel like you value them — and their dollars — is a great way to not only increase brand loyalty and repeat business but also help encourage positive word of mouth. And good news — you can leverage technology to help you do just this.

Here are a few examples of how technology can help improve hotel guest experiences and drive value.

Efficient Service Is the Best Service

A hotel infrastructure connected by technology helps hotel staff be more responsive to guest requests while decreasing the chances of human error. By deploying a staff operations hub at your property, efficient delivery of in-room dining or service items, fast communication between staff and task automation, and expedited maintenance requests can all be achieved.

A staff operations hub can analyze guest data — such as how many times guests request items such as extra pillows, toothbrushes, or towels — and allow a hotelier to place proper orders. Additionally, an operations hub that features a ticketing solution can track preventative maintenance, so management can ensure their facilities stay in excellent working condition, significantly reducing unexpected repairs or overhaul costs and providing guests with pristine property.

Streamline Operations By Stacking Up

When it comes to deploying a staff operations hub, choosing one that integrates easily into your property’s existing tech stack will make a positive impact on your staff’s ability to efficiently complete tasks, your guests’ journey, and your bottom line.

But, what is a tech stack, you ask? In its simplest form, a hotel’s tech stack is made up of the front-end and back-end technologies used by a hotel. By selecting a staff operations hub that interacts with your ticketing system and PMS system, staff will save time therefore expediting tasks and creating a more positive experience for guests.

Provide that Personal Touch

Guests staying at a hotel that’s able to fulfill their requests — even before they place them — are much more likely to return. Leverage technology that allows your staff to prioritize their workload to proactively meet guest expectations before they’re even expressed. Notice that a guest always orders a Pinot Noir with their dinner? By leveraging technology like a staff operations hub, your team will know to offer that specific guest their favorite glass of wine before they have the chance to order it themselves. This will make the guest not only feel special and recognized but will help drive non-room revenue.

Collecting data and learning loyalty guests’ and repeat customers’ behaviors can be facilitated through technology by recording key guest information, including preferences, frequent requests and special needs. With robust guest profiles, hoteliers can anticipate the needs of guests, as well as offer them tailored promotions and services based on their interests. This creates a premium guest experience that helps drive brand loyalty, five-star reviews and repeat business.

Want to learn more about how to leverage technology to deliver value to your guests? Or, wondering how technology can help improve hotel guest experiences at your property? Request a demo today.

Four key ways hotel smart rooms with in-room tablets can actually save your property money, while driving non-room revenue

When it comes to running a hotel, saving money is just as important as driving new revenue. One of the benefits of smart technology is that smart rooms equipped with in-room tablets can help your property do both of these things at once.

As hotel room technology continues to become more advanced, the adoption of smart-room tablets has become more widespread — and not just with luxury brands, but properties of all sizes have noticed the benefits of smart technology when it comes to saving money and increasing revenue.

Here are a few ways smart-room tablets can help your hotel save money immediately.

Eliminate Menu Printing Costs

One of the most common ways for a hotel to drive non-room revenue is through its in-room dining. However, long hold times and messy paper room service menus can be deterrents for guests. Deploying smart-room tablets bedside in each of your guest rooms allows your guests to review up-to-the-minute updated in-room dining menus digitally from wherever they are in their room without having to be tied down to the in-room phone. If an item sells out or if your chef decides to add a special menu item for the night, your staff can update the menu instantaneously without having to print out new copies — saving on paper and ink costs.

Save on Compendium Costs

Similar to in-room dining menus, hoteliers can also upload their property’s amenities, important information and latest offerings all directly to the smart-room tablet. Gone are the days of printing out updates and replacing used in-room compendium folders. Now, hoteliers can save that money by making all changes digitally.

Reduce Event Flyer Fees

Looking for a way to let guests know about an upcoming onsite yoga event or wine tasting night at your property? Similar to saving on compendium costs, a smart-room tablet can also showcase all of the information a front desk pamphlet normally would directly on its home screen. This makes browsing the most up-to-date onsite event information a seamless experience for guests, while cutting down on printing and paper costs.

Streamline Staffing

Smart rooms also help hotels save on staffing costs, which can be especially helpful during a staffing crunch. Instead of needing to assign a team member to answer room service phone calls and physically take down orders, smart-room tablets allow guests to order digitally via the bedside tablet and track their order just like they would on their favorite food delivery app. With smart room ordering, a guest’s dining ticket is sent directly to the kitchen for the staff to start prepping. Additionally, guests can place requests for extra towels or additional pillows directly from the smart-room tablet. Front desk staff no longer need to field these calls, allowing them to focus on more pressing tasks.

Whether it’s saving on physical costs or reducing staffing costs, smart rooms help hoteliers save money. Want to learn more about hotel room technology and how smart-room tablets can help your property conserve its resources? Request a demo today.

Smart hotel rooms have taken the hospitality industry by storm, here are 7 reasons why guests love them

After years of technology playing a role in almost every aspect of our daily lives, more and more hotels are now turning their guest rooms into smart hotel rooms to deliver a more interconnected and personalized guest experience.

To start, let’s define what a smart hotel room is and answer the question, what is smart room technology? Smart rooms are rooms connected to network servers that allow the use of the Internet of Things (IoT), and examples of smart room technology include smart TVs, smart thermostats, bedside smart-room tablets, and voice command capabilities.

So, why are more and more guests craving stays at smart hotels? Here are seven reasons.

1. Smart-Room Tablets Are the Perfect Room Companion

While mobile check-in and mobile key capabilities via branded mobile apps definitely have a slew of benefits, many guests enjoy not having to rely on their personal devices to access hotel features once in their hotel room. Today’s guests find it more convenient to lean over and adjust the in-room temperature or order room service via the bedside smart-room tablet. A dedicated device that acts as the room command center offers guests control capabilities, as well as additional convenience.

2. They Can Watch What They Want

Today’s TV consumption is largely centered around streaming. Guests are accustomed to using their streaming services at home to watch their favorite shows and seek to have that same experience while on a business trip or a vacation. That’s why guests appreciate, and in many cases expect, casting capabilities. Now, they can continue to binge-watch “Stranger Things” on Netflix while out of town on a business meeting.

3. Voice Commands Appeal To All Ages

While smart hotel rooms may have a greater appeal to younger travelers, there’s no denying that all generations love the voice features that come with a more interconnected space. Consumers of all ages are accustomed to using Alexa, Siri, or “Okay Google” in their daily lives to play their music, set an alarm, or send a text. With voice command capabilities in their hotel room, guests can be in control of their space whether they’re in bed, working at the desk, or enjoying a bath.

4. Temperature Discomfort is Eliminated

Just about every traveler has a horror story about a time when their in-room heating or air conditioning didn’t work properly. Guests love smart thermostats because it’s simple to adjust the in-room temperature. And if there’s an issue, using a smart-room tablet, they can quickly put in a service request for the problem to be fixed. Smart-room thermostats, as well as in-room lighting controls, can be easily adjusted via a smart-room tablet and can drastically make a difference in keeping guests comfortable in their rooms.

5. Smart Technology Improves Luxury

Smart hotel rooms undeniably add a touch of luxury to any hotel. A sleek smart-room tablet, in particular, brings an upscale element, and allowing guests to dim the lights, message staff, or place in-room dining orders while lounging on their in-room bed or balcony is just icing on the cake. Plus, tablets make guests feel like the hotel staff is always at their service just a few taps away.

6. Smart-Room Tablets Show Guests What They Didn’t Know They Needed

Tablets provide the perfect avenue for guests to discover activities, browse the gift shop, or even learn about special hotel promotions, which are all easy ways to drive non-room revenue. Tablets have more screen space than mobile devices, so graphics and banners look crisper and draw more attention. Offering personalized promotions — such as 10% off at the hotel restaurant or lobby lounge — can increase revenue.

7. Smart-Rooms Make the Guest the Center of The Universe

In a smart hotel room, everything can be tailored to the current guest — from the temperature, to the TV, to the lighting. And for returning guests, preferences can be saved, so they can return to a room that feels like a second home.

 

Want to learn more about smart hotel rooms and how to deploy this technology at your property? Request a demo today.